Recently, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. announced their 2023 Women of Power “Power 50” honorees.
The USBC Power 50 List is an annual honor bestowed upon fifty illustrious women who embody the spirit of the organization—unwavering dedication to making a difference in their communities and in the world at large.
This year, several honorees are graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and represent a cross-section of women who have made significant contributions in their fields. These individuals have made an impact on our lives and helped to shape the world we live in today.
Melissa Butler – Founder & CEO, The Lip Bar, Florida A&M University
Melissa Butler is the Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar, a beauty brand that started in her kitchen while working on Wall Street. Melissa obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance from Florida A&M University before going on to work on Wall Street as a licensed stockbroker. The Lip Bar has become a pioneer in beauty and inclusion and the company is now sold in Target and Walmart stores across the country. Melissa believes that without representation, as humans, we’re left seeking validation. “I’m the woman who doesn’t believe in No. I’m a fighter, a thought leader, a beauty advocate and expert, a risk taker, an HBCU grad, and a business maven.”
Jasmine Crowe – Founder & CEO of Goodr, North Carolina Central University
Jasmine Crowe is the CEO and founder of Goodr, a tech-enabled sustainable food waste management company that strives to eliminate hunger and save food from landfills. She is an award-winning entrepreneur, TED Speaker, and leader who is working to make the world a better place. Jasmine’s goal is to foster change and create awareness about today’s most pressing socio-economic challenges including poverty, food waste, and hunger. She graduated from North Carolina Central University in 2005 with a BA in Mass Communications.
Karmetria Dunham Burton – Senior Director of Global Supplier Diversity, McDonald’s Corporate, Southern University
Karmetria Dunham Burton Southern is the Senior Director of Global Supplier Diversity for McDonald’s Corporation. In this position, she is responsible for developing and executing a global Supplier Diversity program while enhancing the processes to assist McDonald’s achieve its vision of being an industry leader in making minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs) a natural and integral part of the way the company does business. Karmetria has worked in strategic sourcing in various national and international corporate settings, including Delta Air Lines, Xerox, AT&T, and Union Pacific Railroad. Karmetria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Southern University – Baton Rouge, La., and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. She also has a doctorate degree in business from Argosy University.
Jocelyn Delk Adams – Founder & Author of Grandbaby Cakes, Clark Atlanta University
Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder, author, national television personality, and brand ambassador behind the award-winning cookbook Grandbaby Cakes and the food website Grandbaby-Cakes.com, which gives her family’s, particularly her grandmother’s, cherished generational recipes her modern spin while preserving the most important ingredient- tradition. Jocelyn is a TODAY Show Tastemaker, a judge on Disney Channel and Disney Plus’ Magic Bake Off, Food Network’s popular series “Santa’s Baking Blizzard” and “Beat Bobby Flay”, and a cast member of such shows as “Food Fantasies on OWN Network and the Cooking Channel’s longest running most popular shows, “Unique Sweets”. She graduated magna cum laude from Clark Atlanta University in 2003 with BA in Mass Media Communications.
Michele Cober – Director of Strategic Alliances, Verizon, Howard University School of Law
Michele Cober is also an accomplished attorney who has been practicing law for over a decade. She graduated cum laude from Howard University School of Law where she was Executive Publications Editor of the Howard Law Journal. From 2014-2018, she was named one of Super Lawyer’s Washington D.C. “Rising Stars” in civil litigation. Ms. Cober is now Director of External Affairs & Strategic Alliances at Verizon where she manages strategic relationships with certain third-party organizations representing various civil and human rights interests. She continues to maintain an active pro bono practice, with a focus on criminal justice reform. Ms. Cober also enjoys volunteering to help serve the needs of children, advance the arts, and diversify the legal profession.
Keisha Lance-Bottoms – Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement, Florida A&M University
Keisha Lance Bottoms is a Florida A&M University alumna and serves as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement. She is also CNN Political Commentator, based in Atlanta, Georgia, where she served as the 60th Mayor. She is a visionary leader in bringing equitable outcomes to the forefront of government and commerce. Keisha became the first Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, having previously served as a Judge and a City Councilmember. As Mayor, she committed herself to realizing her vision of “One Atlanta” – an affordable, resilient, and equitable Atlanta.
Michelle Bailey – Founder, HBCU Honors, Spelman College
Purpose-driven entrepreneur and marketing guru, Spelman alum Michelle M. Bailey launched the inaugural HBCU Honors award show to showcase eight alums of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across various industries whose ground-breaking achievements have helped change the world. Bailey studied economics at Spelman College and graduated in 1989. She went on to launch a trailblazing career at BET Networks, where she established a new division – the program research department – to recognize branding market research as a key part of the company’s decision-making process.
Malika Jones – Founder of Brown Girl Jane, Spelman College
Malaika Jones is the CEO of BROWN GIRL Jane, a culturally-inspired and clinically-studied fine fragrance brand sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and DTC. Named one of the 100 most powerful women by Entrepreneur Magazine, Malaika is recognized for her innovative and disruptive approach to business and has been featured in various publications including Forbes, WWD, NY Times, and Elle. She earned a dual degree in Economics and English at Spelman College and completed the Executive Education program at Harvard Business Schoo
Deryl McKissack – President and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, Howard University
Deryl McKissack is the founder, chairwoman, and chief executive officer of McKissack & McKissack, a national architecture, engineering, program- and construction-management firm currently working on over $15 billion in projects nationwide. Under her leadership, McKissack has worked for public and private clients in the civic, culture, energy, education, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, housing, infrastructure, mixed-use, and office sectors and has grown to over 150 employees with offices in Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Structural Engineering at Howard University in 1983.
Courtney Robinson – Global Head of Financial Inclusion & Policy Development, Square, Inc., North Carolina Central University
Courtney Robinson is the Head of Financial Inclusion and Public Policy Development for Square, Inc., where she works on issues critical to underserved communities and financial services policy development, particularly related to equal access to banking services and the broader financial system. Prior to her work at Square, she served as senior counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services; as the Policy Counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending; and as a Legal Analyst for Freddie Mac. Her work and expertise have been featured in national media. She graduated cum laude from North Carolina Central University in 2009 with a BA in Political Science and Government.
Belinda Matingou – Business Development Manager, Amazon Web Services, Florida A&M University
Belinda Matingou is the Business Development Manager for AWS CloudStart at Amazon Web Services. Belinda assists state and local government economic development leaders seeking to stimulate greater tech entrepreneurship in their communities. AWS CloudStart provides resources to help startups scale their businesses on the cloud. Belinda earned her MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School and her BS in Finance from Florida A&M University. She has delivered results in senior management positions at Fortune 100 companies across a variety of industries, including Dell, AT&T, and Swissôtel.
Michelle Jordan – Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T, Florida A&M University
Michelle Jordan currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T. As the head of all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts across the company, Michelle is responsible for strengthening and accelerating the company’s efforts to foster an inclusive culture, while integrating diversity practices into all aspects of the business. Michelle is a graduate of Florida A&M University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and Kennesaw State University, where she completed her Master of Business Administration.
Aminta H. Breaux – President, Bowie State University
Dr. Aminta H. Breaux has served as the visionary 10th president of Bowie State University since July 2017, bringing more than 30 years of diverse higher education leadership experience to the position. As president, she is committed to ensuring that every student at Bowie State University develops an entrepreneurial mindset to achieve success in the rapidly changing workplace and communities. Dr. Breaux initiated a university-wide focus to infuse entrepreneurship education across the disciplines which led to the opening of an Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community in the fall of 2021. She is dedicated to building on the legacy and rich history of Maryland’s oldest historically Black university with a strategic focus on ensuring the long-term viability of the institution.
